Heartless: an alternate ending
by Jaime Lee
Summary: Like many I was devastated by the end of Heartless. I don't remember the last time I loved a character as much as Jest. I hope, for those like me, this alternative ending soothes your heart.


_**We're back at the slaying of the Jabberwock. Catherine has just slain the beast. Jest is behind Peter with Hatta close aside. Raven has rescued Mary Ann from the pumpkin cage and they are heading towards Catherine. **_

The beast's head fell with a hard thumb into the twisted vines and mess of grass. Catherine discarded the sword and fell to her knees in exhaustion. Everyone had stopped in silence, gawking at the massive carcass in awe and relief. Everyone, that is, except Peter.

Peter peter.

He looked at Catherine with murderous eyes. His lips curled up in a snarl and he spun around towards Jest with his axe held high, ready to swing.

"NOOO!" Cath screamed, her voice cracking and desperate. She tried to pull her herself up but she knew she wouldn't make it in time. Just them a striped tail appeared on Peter's shoulder poking him sharply in the neck before curling up to a smiling Cheshire cat grin and disappearing back into the night. He yelped and swung so hard past Jest that he was knocked off balance and he tripped over his wife's spiked and now limp tail. He groaned trying to get himself back on his feet but Hatta had reached him by then and wacked him in the head with his cane rendering him unconscious.

"That will do just fine for now" he stated.

Mary Ann and Raven had gotten to Catherine pulling her up on either side. She searched through her tears and the thick dusk air for Jest. As they got closer to where Hatta had stopped Peter, she could see his lean dark silhouette coming towards her through the dusk fog. His golden eyes fixed on her in determination.

"Why didn't you run?!" He scolded her while pulling her close and hard in an all enveloping hug. He backed off slightly, cradling her head to face him directly, leaning into her, their foreheads together, both still out of breath and now crying. "You saved us, Cath."

"No," she cried, pulling back, "I doomed us. The prophecy." Shaking her head and looking at the others, frightened.

"Pardon me but we can save the commentary for another time soon, " interrupted Hatta, "they'll be looking for you. Actually, I believe they already are, correct? Back to my shop. With haste."

They drudged their way out of Peter's yard. Mary Ann wasn't following. Catherine grabbed her hand but she stayed still and shook her head.

"Mary Ann, come on," Catherine pled, "we must be quick. Come with us! We'll figure it out. Come on, please. We have to go now."

"Go Cath. Hurry. I'll stall them as long as I can. I'm so sorry for everything. Hurry!" She ran in the opposite direction away from the cover of the forest. Jest put his hand on Catherine's lower back, gently urging her along before she grabbed onto his smooth gloved hand and broke into a run. She had him, she squeezed his hand a little and he squeezed back. He was with her and that was all that mattered right now.

They burst through the doors of Hatta's studio, scaring the March Hare right off his seat, smashing his tea cup on the ground.

"What is the meaning of this?" He asked, startled, then calmly, "Would anyone like some tea?"

Paying him no mind, Hatta pushed Jest and Catherine towards the back and through a door to his small and cluttered office space. Once they were in, he stood in the doorway and paused stopping his gaze upon Cath.

"You. I am glad I was wrong about you," his lavender eyes were sincere and even apologetic. "Now, shhhhhhh," he said, putting his finger up to his lips, "I need to find out what's going on out there".

Jest stood up and slammed his hat onto the desk angrily, leaving piles of papers spilling onto the floor.

"It's too dangerous! Have you absolutely gone mad, friend?!" Hatta gave him a coy half smile that made her uneasy and laughed while closing the door.

They sat in silence for a moment or maybe two, gathering their own thoughts and wondering of each others. Jest's kohl was smudged around his eyes with streaks running down his face. Catherine stared at the wall of drawings, designs for fantastic hats and swatches of material in every shade of every color her eyes have ever seen and more, she thought. She could feel his eyes find her and turned her attention to him. He sighed and gave her a complacent smile.

Jest got up from the folding chair and pushed Hatta's things aside to make room on the floor to sit, his long legs dressed in black stretched out. He held his hand out to her. They didn't need words. Words are not needed to communicate if you really listen. She dragged herself across the floor, sunk down beside him and rested her weary head in his lap. They fell asleep immediately.

A sharp rapping on the door startled them awake. Hatta came in, Raven on his shoulder.

"The keepers of the well are here. They want to speak about the mirror. You may not enter. Nevermore." Raven cawed and moved to Jests shoulder as they made their way through the door. There, sitting on the hatter's table was Tillie sitting cross-legged and her sister Elsie standing beside her, both giggling about something none of them would ever know. Hatta gave Jest a look of hopelessness that made Catherine's stomach turn. Jest approached with his careful charmingness.

"How lovely to see you both," he said with a dimple revealing smile.

"Me too", a whisper from a small form appearing in front of them from the air. It was the third sister, Lacie. Catherine was taken aback by the trick and the sisters laughed at her uncomfortable wide eyed stare.

"Ah yes, hello Lacie" he continued. "I'm glad you all came because I must ask what I can offer to get Hatta, Catherine, Ravin and I back to the looking glass. It's important we move along soon, you see." But before he could finish, the sisters were shaking their heads and floating around, their haunting voices echoing.

"No no no. Uh oh."

"Please, whatever it is. Surely we can work out something." Jest offered. He was starting to look worried.

"You opened the door. No queen. No heart. No more Chess." one said, "You were warned" another whispered so close to Catherines ear she jumped. That made them giggle more.

"You may have broke the prophecy with bravery and true love but you have nothing for Chess. You would be killed and the war continues without you. Again and again." The sisters repeating each other, "again and again and again."

"You've been banished."

"Ladies, you would give us no chance at redemption?" Hatta interjected with his cool stature. He popped his tophat back on through a flip in the air and opened his arms to them. "We have been in sources with each other for many years and times and places."

"Some things are beyond even us," Elsie replied and with that they slipped through the floor like smoke and were gone.

Jest turned to face them. He looked disheveled, tired, but to Catherine's surprise, thoughtful. In the distance, they started to hear the sound of horse hooves galloping closer. She chewed her lip and looked around at them anxiously. Raven flew to the window to look out.

"The time we had is slipping away," he squawked.

"Jest, you must run! They'll kill you!" Catherine grabbed his arm and pushed him towards the door but he wouldn't budge, he didn't even seem scared which was frustrating her wildly. Why is there no sense of urgency? This is it. This is what it all comes to. He turned to face her, stunning yellow of his caring eyes sparkling as he offered her a reassuring smile.

"The world is dawning on other days," Raven flew back to Jest's shoulder.

Behind them, Hatta was holding the biggest wide rimmed garden hat Catherine had ever seen. He was holding it sideways where an empty hollow for a head should go. Instead, she was shocked to see a vast green land of farm, corn, sunflowers and wheat. People, working? She thought so. Pigs, goats, horses. A girl happily riding her bike from a farm house with a little brown dog in the front basket. Simple and real, most of all, safe.

Jest removed his hat and gloves, setting them neatly on the table, once vibrant with friends, tea and utter ridiculousness. He laced his strong fingers into hers snuggly and led her towards the hat. Catherine felt his warmth and confidence. He leaned towards her ear and whispered gently, "I chose you".

Hatta waved his cane towards the moving picture, guiding them to go through. Catherine took one more look at his shop and gave him an empathetic smile, mixed with some healthy confusion. His smile widened and he gave her a wink.

"There are other worlds than these, love". And they all lived happily ever after.


End file.
